South Mountain Reservation
South Mountain Reservation | |
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Nearest city | Newark, New Jersey |
Coordinates | 40°45′00″N 74°17′34″W / 40.75000°N 74.29278°W |
Area | 2,047 acres (8.28 km2) |
Established | 1895 |
Governing body | Essex County |
South Mountain Reservation, covering between 2,047
Carved from wilderness at the end of the 19th century, designed by
Recreational complex
Richard J. Codey Arena and Turtle Back Zoo are located within the reservation's boundaries.[5] The recreation area was expanded to include Safari Minigolf and the Treetop Adventure Ropes Course in 2010, and McLoone's Boathouse Restaurant abutting the Orange Reservoir was added in 2011.[5] In 2013, a paddleboat concession was added, accessible from Cherry Lane, across from the Oakdale Picnic Area, and paths from the restaurant and zoo.[6]
Orange Reservoir
Orange Reservoir is a
Dam proposal
There have been several proposals for easing the damage caused by heavy rains, which include damming the Rahway River, with headwaters in the reservation.[14]
History
Revolutionary era
Washington Rock is a Revolutionary War historic site, dating back to the late 18th century when Beacon Signal Station 9 was located here—one of 23 beacons built by General Washington to observe British troop movements quartered on Staten Island and New York City.
It was from this outlook that, on June 23, 1780, Essex County and Newark Militia were first warned that the British had launched an attack westward toward "the Gap", (Hobart Gap), a natural pathway to Washington's troops encamped at Morristown. In a pincer movement designed to gain access to the Gap, Hessian troops fought bitterly along Vaux Hall Road, while the British advanced along Galloping Hill Road, until they were repelled, the Hessians at the base of the mountain and the British in Springfield.[15]
Development
In 1860, wolves, bears and cougars were observed in the area, and there was a bounty on them. In 1896, John Durand, the son of Asher Brown Durand, described the mountain that includes South Mountain Reservation
a wilderness, as it probably existed at the time of Hendrick Hudson, a primitive forest abounding with deer and other wild animals, and traversed by streams alive with trout. Game was plentiful—partridges, quail, woodcock, rabbits, squirrels of every species, raccoons and foxes; while occasionally a hungry bear that had trespassed on the farmyards in the vicinity would be tracked to its den and shot.
The reservation was built from land purchases begun in 1895. It took a decade to untangle the deeds and assemble all the lands at South Mountain. Before he delegated design of the Essex Parks to his stepson's firm, Frederick Law Olmsted visited the newly acquired reservation. He regarded it as some of the most beautiful and promising terrain he had ever seen anywhere. The design of South Mountain was finalized by the Olmsted Brothers in stages over the years. A good deal of construction work—trails, footbridges, shelters, etc.—was undertaken by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
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Hemlock Falls is a dramatic feature
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Blackrock Falls
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Painter's Point above the Rahway River
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Aerial view of Orange Reservoir
References
- ^ "South Mountain Reservation | South Orange Village, NJ". www.southorange.org. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ "South Mountain Reservation | Parks | Essex County Parks". essexcountyparks.org. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ South Mountain Reservation, accessed April 7, 2007
- ^ Kofsky, Jared (26 October 2009). "Walk in the Park: Scenic Reservation Overlooks". www.patch.com. South Orange Patch. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
Located on Crest Drive between Washington Rock and the dog park, Crater View is also about 500 feet above sea level. From Crater View...you can see New York, Newark and Jersey City. You can also see the Bayonne Bridge, and with binoculars, you can see cars traveling over it, as well as the Verrazano Bridge. You can see the Empire State Building, the world's tallest water tower in Union...
- ^ a b "South Mountain Reservation". Essex County Department of Parks. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ^ a b Real, Philip (October 19, 2010), "County executive unveils plan for $4M restaurant near Essex redevelopment sites", The Star-Ledger, retrieved 2011-12-11
- ^ "The Water Question at Orange" (PDF), The New York Times, September 24, 1882, retrieved 2011-12-11
- ^ Read, Philip (January 26, 2010), "Essex to develop miniature golf course along Orange Reservoir", The Star-Ledger, retrieved 2011-12-11
- ^ Lee, Eunice (December 11, 2011), "Orange Reservoir remains mired in legal disputes over whether it is taxable", The Star-Ledger, retrieved 2011-12-11
- ^ Khavkine, Richard (March 20, 2011), "Orange rejects Essex County's offer to buy city's reservoir for $700K", The Star-Ledger, retrieved December 11, 2011
- ^ "Orange Reservoir Walkway and Pedestrian Bridges Installed by The Shauger Group". Patch. May 9, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ "Orange Reservoir to get $2.3M in upgrades that include walkway, 2 bridges". NJ.com. November 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Walking path, bridges around Orange Reservoir complete | Essex News Daily". essexnewsdaily.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-24.
- ^ "NJ towns ramp up fight against proposed South Mountain Reservation dam". NJ.com. April 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ Thomas Fleming, The Forgotten Victory (New York: Reader's Digest Press, distributed by E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc, 1973)
External links
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